Courtney Hill Fertita Branches Out
Longtime residential designer applies her good taste to Houston’s restaurant scene. Article by Diane Cowen Originally published in River Oaks Lifestyle Courtney Hill Fertitta is known for her elegant and timeless touch in residential interior design but lately she’s found a new outlet for her creativity at popular Houston restaurants. She’s been busy adding color and rich pattern to the original Carraba’s, which opened nearly 40 years ago, and to two of the city’s newer restaurants, Bludorn and Navy Blue, a...
A Life and Career of Grand Gestures
Kelly Gale Amen creates furniture, textiles, and, now, delicate pashminas. Article by Diane Cowen Originally published in River Oaks Lifestyle Kelly Gale Amen’s life is full of grand gestures, but his work is admired for the simplicity with which he approaches clients’ needs. They want to keep a favorite brown sofa or have stacks of books they can’t live without. Amen will make it work. He can change the energy in a room by adding color or shifting in furniture, hanging new art and mirrors or placing a new rug or...
Telling Stories Through Her Architecture
Michelle Old nurtures art and architecture while elevating design and mentoring younger peers Article by Diane Cowen Originally published in River Oaks Lifestyle When Michelle Giuseppetti Old was younger, art was her passion. When a high school art history teacher posed the idea that great architecture was an expressive public art form, Old could see her future occupation in a whole new light. In addition to its inherent beauty, great architecture offers functionality and performance to its users and focuses on...
Sensory Experiences
Designer Gail McCleese makes her mark on the hospitality industry in Houston. Article by Diane Cowen Originally published in River Oaks Lifestyle Gail McCleese sits in a curvy booth at Annabelle Brasserie, watching other diners experience the setting she helped create: a ceiling dripping with colorful faux florals and French country style using materials so plush you want to reach out and stroke them. “Biophilia is important to me. I like to bring in nature or the sense of a garden since we’re stuck inside so...